Free Realms

[cliffbo]

Free Realms hitting PS3 in Feb/March
January 17th, 2011 by Joe Anderson at 12:15 pm

SOE president John Smeldey has been speaking regarding the companies upcoming MMO’s, and he has revealed that Free Realms will be the next title from the developer to arrive on PS3.

Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer, Smeldey said, “Free Realms is in submission at SCEA [Sony Computer Entertainment America] right now.

“Once it’s done with that, once it’s through, we’ll be launching it in SCEE [Sony Computer Entertainment Europe].

“If I was a betting man,” he goes on, “I’m betting sometime early February it gets launched on the PS3 in SCEA. And probably, and this is a guess, sometime in March for SCEE. And that will use a free-to-play business model on PS3.”

So what about The Agency then? Well according to Smedley, it’ll arrive “Late this year.”

“We’re not giving out a specific date yet because we don’t know it,” he said.

“One thing that we’ve learned over our company’s history is that it takes time to make great games. And we’re not trying to make cookie-cutter MMOs. There’s some stuff coming out in the next two or three months, MMO-wise, and a lot of it is generic copycats of other games. That’s not what we want to do. We want to make new experiences for people. So The Agency is a new kind of MMO so we want to make sure it’s as good as it can be.”

Exciting times for PS3 then, especially with a free to play MMO on the horizon.

Finally on a PC related matter, Smedley told Eurogamer he expects Planetside Next to launch in either later first quarter or early second quarter 2011.

“We’ve announced publicly that the game is in development,” said Smedley, “it’s a game that’s codenamed PlanetSide Next.

“We haven’t announced a release date for it but you can expect it… We’re looking at late first-quarter, early second-quarter.”

Interesting stuff.

http://www.made2game.com/ps3/free-re...3-in-febmarch/

[cliffbo]

at last!

Free Realms Available on PSN March 29

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/...tation.Blog%29

[cliffbo]

After Sony Online Entertainment revealed that Free Realms would be hitting the Playstation 3 at the end of March, they began answering questions from fans of of the game and revealed more details of how it will be implemented for the Playstation Network.

SOE's Stephen Bokkes responded to several questions on the PS Blog ranging from playing the game from the PS3 controller to cross-platform play to trophy support.

Will the game support cross-platform play? No.

Sorry, no cross-platform compatibility. Unfortunately, the logistics involved with synchronized publishes and account linking make it impractical.

Will there be trophies? Yep.

Yes, we’ll have trophies. A full set of 46.

Will Playstation Plus subscribers get anything extra? Eventually.

Not for launch, but we’re discussing ways to offer PS+ users cool stuff in addition to our members benefits.

How will Free Realms' mini-games work with the PS3 controller?

You can use the analog stick or D-pad to control the cursor for match 3 and interaction mimic minigames. The games are tuned specifically for these inputs. Other games like kart racing and pirates plunder map more naturally to the PS3 controller.

What are the subscription options?

Membership costs the same as the PC version. $4.99 per month. We have additional membership options available for multiple months and even a lifetime membership for $34.99.

http://www.examiner.com/console-gami...realms-details

[SadPanda]

Im still surprised that a game called Free Realms costs a monthly fee.

[solidsnakejej]

I thought it has free quest and content with subscription for premium content and areas ala Runescape.

[SadPanda]

well that makes more sense i suppose...

[AC!D]

Free Realms hits PSN today with Voice Chat, Trophies

Today, as a PS3 gamer, you should ask yourself only one question: where can I race a demolition derby car against my friends, build a fun house for my friends to come play in, battle monsters as a stealthy ninja, own a parrot and talk like a pirate, raise a dragon pet that poops hot coals, and ride a rainbow unicorn off into the sunset?

Starting today, the answer is Free Realms! That’s right, Sony Online Entertainment’s popular online virtual world makes its way to the PlayStation Network today and you can all play it for FREE. Free Realms is the first casual, free-to-play MMO ever to be offered on the PlayStation Network and definitely has something for everyone to play, adventure and experience.

Players can take on endless amounts of roles including ninjas, warriors, or wizards, while participating in a variety of activities such as adventuring for treasure, playing a soccer game, decorating their player house, or even entering a demolition derby! If you are seeking a totally different challenge, you can participate in minigames and quests that include decorating your player house, constructing a maze, or exploring the terrain on the back of a cool T-Rex Ride.

Much like the PC and MAC versions, Free Realms on the PS3 features the fun minigames, robust player housing system, adventure, and exploration that millions of gamers have come to love. The PS3 version adopts the console’s interactive capabilities: You can now use voice chat to communicate with your friends at the coolest dance parties and earn Trophies in combat instances or for completing collections. Be on the lookout for hidden Trophies while you’re at it!

If I’ve piqued your interest, download Free Realms for free from the PlayStation Store and immediately immerse yourself in a rich fantasy world perfect for sharing with family and friends. Join us and be a part of a whole new online gaming experience for the PlayStation 3 in a world where you rule!

Anyone in the US download this? Give us a verdict!

[OmniStalgic]

I saw it...but I'm not gonna download it yet, MMO aren't my thing...

Plus I just saw this RPG called "Record of Agarest War" on PSN. Got some decent reviews, and I love playing classic style RPG's of yesteryear. ME2 DLC, Yakuza 3, Vanquish, and then the PSN RPG for the month of April and beyond, so I doubt I'll get to check it out anytime soon.

My wife might download it though, it is free.

[AC!D]

It's not on my PSN store and neither is Castlevania Reverie or the KZ3 map pack. Stupid Sony!!!

[Bsack]

Anyone played this game? I saw this and it intrigues me, so let me know what you guys think.

[cliffbo]

why not just give it a go, it's free

[Bsack]

Yeah it's free to a point I've been doing some reading up on it and it looks like to unlock trophies and other stuff you have to get the subscription, but even then it's only $5 for a month. I take it nobody plays this on this site.

[drakkar]

I've played this with my Niece and it seems fairly robust with lots to do. She likes to just run around it at the moment and do some of the smaller games, but mainly just run and check everything out so i haven't bought a pass for it.

[Bsack]

Yeah it's a mild MMO but i figure I'll have fun with it if I enjoyed DCUO

[masteratt]

Out now on EU PSN.
http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/...eptember-2011/

[GTAce]

Awesome. Really liked it on the PC, but I'm not a fan of the K/M controls. Too bad it looks like I have to play through all the quests again.

[GTAce]

They fucking ruined it with the level 4 cap, Haven't played it for a while, but when I played it on PC, you could do so much more, seriously disappointed. Back then they had some jobs and quests for members only, but you could level up a lot on all the "starter" jobs (Adventurer, Race/Demo. Derby driver etc.). You cannot really build a "relationship" to the world this way. I wish I could at least transfer my PC profile. 8(